A new Life
by nuiki
Summary: At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the characters I made up on my own. Steph, Ranger and Morelli belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no money on this.

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start.

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

* * *

**Prologue**

I wasn't thinking. I couldn't have been, or else I wouldn't have been here now. I was sitting in my car, halfway to Washington D.C., and in the back I had Rex, my long beloved roomie, who also was a hamster.

At the time Rex was in my cookie jar, and beside him was a bag with some clothes and personal effects. What had I done?

Slowly it all came back to me. The stalker, the bomb and the fire.

I pulled the car over as the flashbacks brought back tears, fear and relief.

In the last two months I had a man stalking me. He had been one of my FTA's once a long time ago.

At first he seemed friendly enough, for a stalker. He left small presents like some flowers, doughnuts, chocolate or sweets and followed me in a low scale kind of a way.

After some time he put more pressure on me, and followed me everywhere I went. I started to be kind of tired of the whole thing, but he hadn't actually done anything to me, so I waited.

I waited until today. When I got home he had been in my apartment, waiting for me. He told me that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I couldn't believe what was happening to me before I really knew what was going on, he was down on one knee, asking me to marry him.

Yes, he wanted me to marry him!

He wasn't the first stalker I had, but he was the first one to ask me to be his wife. I was shocked and said that I had to think about it. He left, and said he would return the next day.

Probably in shock I decided that I needed some space from my life. I packed some clothes and things that I didn't want to leave behind.

I was holding Rex in my hands, telling him that I would have to go on a little trip. I think he would have been very angry at me if I just left without saying why. After living with together for years, you start to depend on each other, you know?

Suddenly a bomb was thrown through the window of my apartment. I looked from the thing to my window and back again before it finally registered in my brain what it was; I got the hell out of that apartment.

I reached the safety of the hall near elevator and barely avoided the explosion; I decided to take the stairs. Yeah, I actually had read the warnings about taking the stairs if a fire starts.

In no time I was outside and in my car. I reached for my phone to call 911, but I couldn't find it. I had left it on my couch. Stupid, stupid, stupid Stephanie, I hit myself in my head.

Unexpectedly I felt something moving in my other hand. I looked down at Rex and I felt ten pounds fly off my shoulders.

"Oh, honey, everything is going to be all right, I promise!" This was about the time I stopped thinking I guess. And in one way or another I had managed to get myself half-way to Washington before starting to think again. Go figure!

I sat in the car besides a gas station, cars driving past.

I didn't know what to do. Some part of me wanted to go back to Trenton, but the other part told me that I needed to get some space from all this.

It was only three days ago that I had been engaged to Supercop, AKA Joe Morelli. Notice _had been, past tense, no more_. And last night I spent with Batman, AKA Ranger. What a mess.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

I took several days to get to Atlanta. Once in a while I stopped to get some sleep, and I bought a few news papers. I could have done the drive in two days, but I wanted and needed both the time and space.

From what I read, everybody believed that I had died in the fire with two of my neighbors and Rex. I felt sorry for my neighbors, but it wasn't my foul I convinced myself to believe.

I felt bad about not telling anybody that I was alive. But if I ever wanted to fix my life, I needed this. I needed a fresh start. And I needed it a long way from New Jersey. I had never been to Europe. Maybe that was the place to go from Atlanta?

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_Thanks to Lisa (_Alfonsina del Mar) for editing!

_Please R&R!_

_TBC…_


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the characters I made up on my own. Steph, Ranger and Morelli belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no money on this.

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start.

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The next morning I woke up in an unfamiliar room. It took me about half a minute to figure out where I was, and about the same time fore the headache from hell to remind me of the last days.

I went into the small bathroom to take a shower and clear my head a bit. Sooner or later I would have the great wave of guilt rush over me, but not right now I decided.

As I searched my purse for some painkillers I found my engagement ring. I hadn't returned it to Joe yet, because I already had taken it off at the time I choose to give him with my decision.

Once again the tears started to pop up, and I got a feeling I hadn't felt in a very long time. I wanted to go for a run. I needed to get some tension out of my body, and hopefully I wouldn't pass out due to the fact I wasn't in my best shape, and with a headache.

But I was never known for taking the safe road, right?

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

One hour later I got back to my room, soaking in sweat. It felt much better, and I took the second shower for the day.

Listening to my stomach, I determined to grab some breakfast. I also gave Rex a carrot, the poor little one was living in my cookie jar, but he was staying brave for me.

"I will get you a new cage soon, I promise!" Rex stiffed before he started to run around himself in the jar. I guess he was looking forward to get a new home.

Well, there wasn't much more for me to do today but figure out what was going to be my next step. I should probably give my mom a call. I didn't.

Instead I wrote her a letter. I wasn't up to talking with her at this point. I still didn't want to return to Trenton. I just didn't feel safe there anymore.

During the last six to eight months I had had several stalkers, brutal FTA's and other unpleasant experiences. Joe had tried everything to make me stop body hunting. He would beg and yell at the same time.

I knew he was afraid of my safety, and I think he just wanted for me to feel safe. But I just realized that I would never feel safe in Trenton again.

Quitting my job wasn't going to get away from the stalkers. I was tired of being the Bombshell Body Hunter from Hell. But in Trenton, that was who I was and probably always would be.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

I didn't take off to Europe, I stayed in Atlanta. Every morning I took a run before would try to figure out whether or not to send the letter to my mom. I wasn't ready yet. I was hurt and heartbroken, and unsure what to do.

I spent my evenings at bars, mostly just sitting and watching people. And after three days in Atlanta I got the sign I was waiting for.

It was Wednesday night and I was hanging out on a new bar. Last Wednesday I had been doing a distraction with Ranger at the same time. Funny how fast life changes sometimes.

Halfway through my second beer a man entered the bar. Most of the females in the place turned around, checking the guy out. He was about six feet tall with an athletic build. He was wearing a suit, but no tie. His jacket was un-buttoned, his blonde-hair was a bit messy.

With his ice-cold blue eyes, he searched the bar for something, giving some of the women a small smile before he headed to the bartender. He ordered his drink and looked at his watch.

My guess was that he was waiting for someone. Probably his girlfriend. He looked a bit anxious, so he might be in trouble.

Three minutes later a pretty woman wearing a little black dress entered the bar, just in the same way as the man had. She didn't bother to get something to drink, so I guess she wasn't planning on staying.

She walked right towards the guy and he smiled to her. A "forgive-me-smile" I added to myself. From the way she walked I think she was furious, but her face was blank.

Once she was in front of the man in the suit, he got up and started to talk to her. Obviously trying to calm her down, trying to explain himself.

I don't know what he did, but she sure was mad at him, after five minutes she gave him something from her pocket and turned away with tears in her eyes. He looked shocked but didn't try to stop her from leaving.

"Men, why don't they do anything right?" I asked myself.

After I left Trenton I had been doing this a lot. I would analyze all of the people around me: shopping for my groceries, sitting at a bar, in a park or at restaurants.

Thinking of other people's lives, searching for their failures and life problems made my own situation get in the next line. I didn't want to think about my second night with Ranger, nor my broken engagement to Morelli (was it really only ten days ago?) or the big fight with my mother.

I didn't want to think about the hundred messages my mother had left on my phone the last two weeks. I knew she hated me, I wasn't anything like the daughter she had wanted.

Even one of my skips felt so pity on me that he actually called me, saying he was waiting for me at the police office to be re-bonded.

Having the stalker on top of all that just made me want to lie down and cry, but instead I had run away. Do you get why I preferred to analyze other people's lives?

* * *

_Tanks to Lisa (_Alfonsina del Mar) for editing!

_I like to keep the chapters a bit short, hope you don't mind?_

_Please R&R!_

_It's a bit messy at this point, but after some chapters I hope it will work out._

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the charact

* * *

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start. 

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews guys, this is just a chapter in another POV, trying to help you to see the reasons why Steph hasn't returned back yet.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Helen Plum's POV

I had just finished ironing the laundry, and heard the mailman at the door.

"Hello Mrs. Plum, it's a letter for you."

"Well, thank you honey."

"Anytime Mrs. Plum, anytime." I took the letter and looked at it. The handwriting was familiar, but it had to be my imagination. There was no way it could be fro her; it was impossible.

I walked back inside and sat down at the kitchen table, slowly opening the envelope.

I pulled out the paper inside and started to read from the top with tears pressing behind my eyes.

_Dear Mom,_

_Before you get even more angry with me, please read the whole letter and give me a chance to explain. Will you?_

_You have to understand that this wasn't anything I planned. I didn't plan to run away, to leave you all behind, thinking I was dead. Because I'm not mom, I'm perfectly well alive. And I'm doing well._

_In the last six months I have been living in fear. A fear unlike anything else I have felt. I found myself looking over my shoulders, feeling pathetic, and being afraid._

_When the bomb was thrown into my apartment, I saw a way out from the nightmare. I was so tired, tired of fearing for my life, and more important; the lives of the people I love the most._

_I'm not asking for your understanding, I just hope you don't hate me. And that you one day will forgive me for everything I have done to you. _

_Even when I was a little girl wanting to fly, I disappointed you. And my divorce, my job, my new friends and finally when I broke the engagement with Joe off. I know I disappointed you, but I truly hope that you will see it from my point of view one time. _

_PS: Please tell Joe and Ranger to stop looking for me. I don't want them going after me at this point. I need some space. Please._

_Love_

_Stephanie, your daughter_

Tears were streaming down Helen Plum's chin. She was so happy to know that her baby girl was alive.

She knew she had to tell Joe and that bounty hunter mercenary , that her daughter adored so much that Stephanie was still alive. But they would also be the only two she would tell.

Helen Plum loved her daughter so much, and the one think she wanted more than having her with her was that Stephanie was feeling safe.

She herself had never lived with the fear of someone wanting to kill you, but she didn't think it was anything she would found missing from her own life.

It would have been better if Stephanie could have felt safe in Trenton, even if she needed to be together with Ranger to feel that. But Stepanie's safety was more important to Helen than having her baby near by.

"Of course I don't hate you, silly girl. You always made me proud," she whispered to the letter.

* * *

_Thanks to Lisa for editing!_

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the characters I made up on my own. Steph, Ranger and Morelli belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no money on this.

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start. Steph run away to Atlanta, sending just a letter to her mother to explain.

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

Thanks to Kate Manoso and Lisa for proofreading it!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

I forgot all about the man in the suit until he walked into the same bar two days later. Once again, half of the female visitors turned their heads to check him out. I wasn't surprised, he was a good-looking guy.

But this time he didn't search the room, just went straight to the bar. He didn't pay attention to the viewers.

I was also sitting at the bar, and the only seat free was on my left side.

"Is this occupied?" he asked. I just shook my head in return and he sat down next to me.

We sat silent, both drinking. I looked on him from the corner of my eye, he was wearing jeans and a green t-shirt. His eyes looked tired, like he hadn't had much sleep lately.

I presume he noticed me because he suddenly turned, facing me.

"I'm Nicolay McDonnell." He reached out his hand towards me. And I grabbed it as a reflex more than I actually thought of it.

"Stephanie." It was best to keep it short, I'm supposed to be dead, remember? Beside, he didn't seem to wonder about it, like he was used to girls just be presented with their first name.

"What brings a lovely lady like you to a bar to drink in the middle of the week, Stephanie?"

"It's complicated. How about you Nicolay?"

"Please, call me Nico, and this is one of my favorite bars." He gave me a smile, and looked at my empty glass. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm about to leave."

"Why? Do you have a husband waiting at home?" He had a small grin at his face.

"Don't you have a wife?" I returned. I felt his mood drop ten feet at three seconds. Guess not?

"I broke up with my fiancé one week ago."

"I'm sorry." The pain in his eyes actually made me feel sorry for him.

"It's ok. I was the one doing the breaking up, right?" He tried to sound funny, but it was nothing to laugh at in his voice.

I guess it was the alcohol that made me want to talk to him. I knew how it felt to have nobody to talk to, nobody that would understand.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you break up with her when you love her?" If he had changed his mood fast earlier, now it was an even faster change. From sad to angry, and then blank.

It was a long silence, either of us wanted to be the first to speak, but he knew that he needed to tell someone, and I knew that he needed someone he didn't know listening.

Finally he spoke up. "You know, in fairy tales, the prince and the princess always match each other perfect. And they live happily ever after." I did a small nod, waiting for him to continue.

"In real life, sometimes you can love a person with all your heart, but you can't be with them for the rest of your life. It's the love that will break down the both of you after some time. The love that will be remembered for the rest of you life, that never fades. But it will never be the kind of love you will marry." His eyes had gone blank, like he was in a different solar system.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." I mumbled, and Nico gave me a questioning look. "I felt that way with my own fiancé. So, I broke it off. Two days later I left town, and now I guess he thinks I'm dead."

"I'll drink to that one." Nico said, raising his glass in a toast.

"Yeah! To two miserable lives!"

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

The three following nights I met Nico at the same bar, we talked about everything, from war to cakes. I started to look at Nico as a good friend. He understood me, and he didn't judge me for my actions.

"So tell me all about yourself." I said with a challenging voice and raising an eye brow at him.

"Not much to tell. I grew up in Moscow. My parents were diplomats. I had one baby sister and a big brother. When I was 16, I went to the states to live with my grandparents and go to school. One year later, I had two men from the government at my door, telling me that the Russian mafia had killed my family. I was totally broken, so I entered the army. After two years I joined the Special Forces, and I was sent on a mission in Russia. I infiltrated the organization that took my family away from me."

Nico's eyes held so much hate, and something I think that was beyond hate, when he talked about the mafia.

"I spent three whole years as a double agent, killed a few of the bosses, and left the organization in complete chaos. I left the army and started to build up a new life with the money I got from the mission in Russia."

Uh oh, another of those assassins with governmental relations, I thought. Like I wasn't fed up with that before? But the thing is that it was different with Nico. In a way I could see the reasons he had to kill the same people that had killed his own family.

Personally, I knew that I would do everything to save my family. For God's sake, I left town! I left everybody I cared for behind, thinking I'm dead. Just because I loved them, I wouldn't put them in danger because of me.

I felt that Nico had left his past behind, he had done the one thing I knew Ranger never could do. What ever happened, Ranger would always be the army-guy, thinking like a solider and act like a member of the Special Forces. From time to time, I wondered if he had any conscience at all.

Nico's look made me stop the thinking progress. "Sorry?"

"I just asked youwhat's your story," he said with a smile on his face.

"Well, it's not much to tell. I was born in Trenton, New Jersey. I have an older sister and my grandmother lives with my parents. She's crazy, in a good way. I was once married to this dick named Dickie, but I found him cheating on me before we got the wedding picture in the paper. After that I went on to share my apartment with a hamster named Rex, and I started my life as a bounty hunter. I found myself between two guys. One was my friend from childhood, now cop, and the other was my mentor and ex-ranger. I ended up engaged to the cop, but as you already know, I called it off."

I don't feel that my life should impress anybody, but it looked to amuse Nico.

"And then, you just took off to Atlanta?"

"Well, you see, I got a new stalker, unlike any other one I ever had before. He asked me to marry him, and then I suddenly got a fire bomb thrown through my living room window. Before I knew it, I was halfway to D.C. I just couldn't stop driving and ended up here." At this point Nico was shaking his head in laughter.

"There's so much more to you than it looks from the outside. I was thinking the old story my-finance–cheated-on-me. Or some cold feet thing."

"What can I say I'm a surprise." I winked to him.

"I can see that."

I smiled once again. I'm finding myself doing that a lot around Nico. Sure he was a funny guy, and he also was pretty good-looking. I mean, not in the same way as Ranger or Joe, but it was something in his light blue eyes that made me freeze. He wasn't as well built with as many muscles as Ranger, but he had more than Morelli.

But the thing that really got everybody to turn and check out Nico once he entered a room was the energy he had around him. I felt so awake and happy with him.

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_ A/N: Thanks for reviewing, sorry for a late update!_


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the characters I made up on my own. Steph, Ranger and Morelli belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no money on this.

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start. Steph run away to Atlanta, sending just a letter to her mother to explain.

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

I just realized that I had an unpublished chapter on my computer. Stupid me...

Thanks to Kate Manoso for proofreading!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Do you know the feeling that you have known someone your entire life, you feel like they know everything about you and you trust them even if you only met them one week ago?

That's what I felt about Nico. I let him under my skin and inside my head in ways I never let anyone before.

Joe and I had almost grown up together, at least in the same neighborhood. Everything he needed to know about me, he heard through the grapevine. I guess our relationship was more about the physical things like sex, eating take out, and watching games.

With Ranger, it was more like he read my thoughts and had every date there is on me in a file. But I never told him any of the things he knew, and he never asked.

Nico asked, and he acted like he really cared about what I told him. Like he was interested in me and my life. He soon moved to being one of my closest friends.

I told him everything there was to know about my life. It was good to have someone to share the secrets and thoughts with. He understood and supported me.

In return, Nico let me into his world. He told me as much as he was able to about his life, and I wanted to know. Unlike Ranger, Nico had left his army days behind. He was much more relaxed, and was willing to share himself. The one thing I missed more than anything with Ranger.

Each time Nico decides to share something new with me, I really felt his trust. And having the trust of a friend is one of the greatest gifts in life.

Yeah, I knew Ranger trusted me too, but that was a different type of trust.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

Nico showed me some really great places in Atlanta. And we had fun together. After around three weeks in Atlanta, Nico was finished with his business in the city, and he told me he was going home.

I was surprised that I almost started to cry at the thought of him leaving. I didn't want him to leave, and I sure didn't want to be alone in the world. Returning to Trenton was not on my top five list of things to do right now.

I was standing in my hotel room, freshening up a bit before I had meet Nico in about an hour. We were going to a restaurant so I put on a nice, black dress and some black pumps.

After a look in the mirror, I declared myself good to go. The dress showed my best sides, but it wasn't as slutty or challenging that I would have worn on a date with a boyfriend.

I picked up my keys from the counter and put them in my purse with some money and my new phone.

I went outside to wait for Nico, he was going to pick me up at any moment. As I walked out of the door, he pulled up.

The sight of him made me smile. He looked way to good, Nico at his personal best. Tonight he was in a black suit jacket, a Hawaii inspired button down shirt, and jeans that looked perfect on him.

I opened the car door and slid into the seat. I must admit that I loved his car. It was masculine, but wasn't all show-off and it wasn't black. Don't misunderstand me, black is just fine. But sometimes it's fun to have some color, too. Nico's car was dark green.

We drove to a part of town I had never visited before. Nico offered me his hand and I took it while we went inside the restaurant. I felt my eyes go wide as I took in the sight of the place. The tables were a dark wood that went well perfectly with the hard wood floors. Each table had a dark red rose in simple vase and a candle votive as a center peice. They played some sort of Latino music, and there was a dance floor. It looked like something from the old Madrid, and I immediately fell in love with the place.

"Welcome to Blanco & Esperanza Steph. Do you like it?"

"I love it Nico, the only thing I don't like is the fact that it took you so long to show it to me." I gave him a wide smile and he returned it while walking us towards a waiter.

The waiter gave Nico an acknowledging nod and showed us out table. The restaruant was pretty dead tonight, only about 16-18 people. But the atmosphere was relaxing.

"Do you trust me to order for you?" Nico suddenly asked with a wink. I guess it was the best idea. I couldn't make that much sense out of the menus since they were all in Spanish.

"You do that, but not anything nasty!" I warned him, knowing that he would probably order me something that tasted like heaven. Nico had a great taste of food, and he also enjoyed a good desert after dinner. We both shared the love of red wines, so he picked out a bottle for us.

I knew that this probably was going to be our last night in Atlanta together, since Nico was leaving in the morning. I didn't want to get all sentimental. It would be stupid anyway, since I hadn't known the guy for more then a month.

The food arrived and I don't know what it was called, but it tasted wonderful. And with the great company I had a really good time. I didn't want the night to end, but too soon our chocolate confetti cakes arrived.

I felt Nico tense a bit, but didn't ask what was bothering him. I gave him a smile and we ate our cakes in silence. I was just finished when Nico reached for my hand and hold it in his. Our eyes met and I was about to say something when he interrupted me.

"When I first met you several weeks ago my life was empty and I didn't know what to do with it. I was starting to get depressed and feeling alone when you showed up out of no where. I have never felt like this for someone else, I feel that I will be happy if I can just see you each day. I feel that everything is going to be fine and that every problem in my life is unimportant. Stephanie, you have turned out to be my greatest friend, and I really would have love it if you would come to live with me in my home."

Normally I would think of this speech like something you say before you are going to pop the big question, but I felt the same way. I understood what he meant when he wanted to have his best friend by his side every day. And I knew he didn't want to leave me alone in Atlanta. Hell, I didn't want to be left behind, and I guess it wouldn't hurt, right?

"I guess it's time to move on anyway, right? Why not move on together with you? I'm in!"

We walked out of the restaurant, and Nico opened the car door for me. After he got in him self, I looked one last time at the name of the restaurant.

"Blanco & Esperanza means light and hope. That was what you brought to my life." I turned to face Nico. And I gave him a hug.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the characters I made up on my own. Steph, Ranger and Morelli belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no money on this.

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start. Steph run away to Atlanta, sending just a letter to her mother to explain. And that's where she meet Nico.

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

Thanks to Kate Manoso and Lisa for proofreading it!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It's freaking 7:00 in the morning. and I'm standing outside, waiting for Nico to come and pick me up. We are leaving to Louisville today.

The butterflies were going crazy in my stomach. It was a bit scary, Nico was actually going to take me to his home today.

I had no idea of where he lived other than it was just outside Louisville. I didn't know if he lived in a cabin, in a trailer or just what. Well, I had some ideas out of what I knew of him but you really never know!

A car pulled over in front of me and woke me up from the daydreams of how Nico's house would be.

"Hey, you're ready to leave?"

Nico was looking stunning like always. And I knew I looked like hell. Give me a break! I'm not made for getting up at 6:30 in the morning, it's a little bit early for me.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be! So let's rock and roll!" I tried to sound cheery, but I've never been the best actress.

"You can sleep in the car, let's just get your stuff loaded first." Nico got out of the car and put my bag with his and Rex in the back seat. He smiled to me and opened the passenger door for me.

I got in and we started the road to Kentucky. I had never really been to Kentucky before. I mean, I had travelled through, but never stayed for any period of time. But I think I'm going to like it.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

We had already been on the road for five hours, just now making a pit stop to buy breakfast.

It was fun to ride with Nico, he told me funny stories about people he had met through his work.

I found out that he was in the life coaching business; he had his own company and about thirty employees. Nico had been in the game from the beginning and was well established in the self improvement market.

Life coaching hadn't quite hit Trenton yet, so Nico explained the basics to me. For once it wasn't me that needed to do the talking in the car.

Seeing Nico explain about his company was like watching a child on Christmas Day. It was so clear that this was his baby, his toy and his motivation.

I have always admired and even envied people who knew the desires of their hearts and minds so well. People who knew what they wanted to do and took great joy in it.

"What?" Nico stopped for a second.

"What what?" Did I really moan again? Jeeze, this was getting really embarrassing; I know I use to moan a bit when I eat cake and other delicious stuff, I can't help it! But I don't usually just do it without reason, what do you think of me?

"You gave me that look again."

"What look?"

"The look you get when you think I'm really cute." Nico grinned to me. The worst thing was that he probably was right. But that wasn't all. It was like a part of me needed him for some unknown reason, and for once I'm not thinking about sexual reasons.

"It's just that seeing you when you talk about your business, it's like your eyes start to sparkle and I want to have that sparkle too. I never wanted to be a body hunter you know. I just wanted to be Wonder Woman, at least when I was ten, but anyway I want to have the thing in my life that makes my eyes sparkle like that."

Wow, now it was out loud it made it real. It might not sound so bad in your ears, but when you are soon to be in your mid-thirties, no children, no serious relationship and a shitty job with high risk on being shot at and low possibilities for promotion. You won't admit to anymore than necessary that you aren't happy with how your life turned out.

"You have to keep the faith. It might take a whole life to understand what you want to do, and it might sole itself before you even start high school." Nico's voice was filled with honesty. "If you want, I can help you out a bit. I'm not promising anything, just offering a helping hand to guide you in the right direction."

"Thank you. I might take that offer. It's just that you know, taking advice from a pro is a bit scary in a way."

"Relax, most people still think so. They hate the fact that they need help to find out what to do with their life. It's pretty personal business."

That was the thing I loved about Nico. He was so great, always saying the right words to make me feel better. I never felt like I was being pushed over the edge.

We spent the rest of the time in silence. I was in my own zone, shutting out the past and just thinking about the future. My old life was a closed chapter in the book about my life. I really needed to forget about everything. Everything that happened before I ran away.

I knew what everybody said behind my back. And I knew that neither Morelli nor Ranger believed for a second that I was dead. Morelli was a cop and was probably the first one to be told that there weren't any body parts to be found.

Ranger had his own ways, and I knew he had an office in Atlanta and it wasn't like I had lied low. I was just surprised he hadn't showed up yet. It's hard to admit it, but I was always looking over my shoulder, always expecting Ranger to stand by my bed when I woke up in the morning or sitting in the living room with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes fixed on me. I knew the day would eventually come, but I was just hoping he would wait another week.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing but the characters I made up on my own. Steph, Ranger and Morelli belongs to Janet Evanovich. I make no money on this.

**Summary:** At some point your life is a total mess, and you just want to get a fresh start. Steph run away to Atlanta, sending just a letter to her mother to explain. And that's where she meet Nico.

**Spoilers:** I guess it's safest to say it's after LMT.

**Rating:** T

Thanks to Lisa for help and proofreading!

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**Chapter 6**

As we drove away from Louisville I was looking everywhere to get a sight of Nico's house. He was just laughing at me, but I could see that he was looking forward to showing me his home.

There were acres of luxurious green grass as far as the eye could see. I was so busy looking around that I didn't notice as we drove up the drive way, but there it was Nico's paradise; it was a spectacular home.

"Here we are, home, sweet home!"

I was speechless, I don't know what I had expected, but this wasn't it. Nico lived at a racing farm. I saw the stable buildings, the barn, the track and the farmhouse. The grass was green and fresh, the farmyard was clean and tidy and the thing I loved the most were all the sunflowers that were growing everywhere. They made the perfect finishing touch on the place.

Around us there were several horses behind pure white fences. They all looked like they were perfect thoroughbreds, healthy and well trained. My guess they were top race horses.

"You never told me you lived on a farm!"

"You never asked." Nico was just smiling, I seriously suspected he had been hiding this from me, knowing I was a city dweller. "So what do you think?"

"It's beautiful. Do you really own all of this?" At this time I was halfway out of the car, trying to take in every detail of the place.

"Yes, it's mine. I inherited Sunflower Farm after my grandparents when they died; I was 26. Horses were their passion. I didn't own any of the horses by my self in the beginning, I just boarded other people's horses. I had a good time playing extreme make over on the buildings for some years. Grandpa loved the horses, but he wasn't quite into modern technology, he was more an old fashion type of guy."

"You have to show me everything!" I felt like a little kid, bud I really wanted to take a look at this. My entire experience with horses ended with sharing dinner with my niece Mary-Alice who truly believes that she's a horse.

"Calm down, I promise to take you on the tour, but what if we take our baggage inside first? I'm starting to get really hungry."

I had totally forgotten about food, but my stomach hadn't and chose this time to let us know.

"I take that as a hint, we better go inside before we both starve to death."

The house was white and big. I would put it around hundred years old, but it was clear that someone had put a lot of money in taking care of the house. It was really beautiful.

"You can close your mouth now. Wanna go inside and take a look?" I'm not the one letting an opportunity to eat pas buy, so I just gave Nico a big smile as we walked up to the door.

The first room we entered was big, the walls were painted in some light beige colour and it was plenty of dark brown bookshelves of wood filled with books, films and CD's.

"This is the living room, and that door goes to my office."

The sofa was in almost exactly the same colour as the shelves and it was an open fire place in front of it. There was a couple of paintings hanging around, and several giant pictures of Nico riding, Nico in the winning circle, Nico with two old people and one picture of a family of five. My guess was that the two old people were Nico's grandparents and that it was Nico's family.

The interior was classic and simple, but it was homey. I looked over at Nico and he smiled at me. Unlike me, that hated my old apartment, I knew he was proud of his house.

It was just perfect, nice and clean but it also had an aura that I hadn't seen in a bachelor's house before; it was a home. In the back of the house he had a garden with lots of flowers in all kind of shapes and colours of course it was about hundred sunflowers there too. Besides of all the flowers there were also a table and four chairs, a hammock and plenty of space for volleyball, football or other activities on a fresh green field.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's not me who works the garden, I'm paying one of my neighbours to do it. I love flowers more than anything, but I tend to kill them within a week or so. I guess my hands are more black than green!" I had to laugh, I wasn't much of a flower person myself, but I could probably get used to this as long as I didn't need to take care of them myself.

"Do you want to unpack while I make us dinner?" I nodded in return and turned towards the stairs and my bedroom that he had shoved me earlier.

It was in the second floor, two doors away from his and I had immediately felt in love with the room. It had a light beige paint on the walls, and on top of that someone had painted a simple pattern in a darker tune. The bed was big and masculine, and it was the same dark wood as the bookshelves in the living room.

There was three doors, one of course led out, the second one to a walk-through closet and the third was to my own private bathroom. I was just standing, admiring the bathroom when I heard Nico announcing that the dinner was ready.

During the next days Nico showed me the whole farm, he even presented me to his horses. The stable hand was really nice to me, and I immediately felt welcome.

The head trainer, Sam, was just about twenty-six years old, but Nico told me she was the best there was to find. Yeah, Sam was short for Samantha.

She was a head shorter than me, but still too tall to be jockey she joked about. Her hair was short, fluffy and flaming red. She was a pretty girl, with a lovely attitude. I don't think I ever saw her without a big smile on her face, maybe except when she was at the training field, then she was so focused that it was almost impossible to get contact with her.

Most of the stable hands lived over the breeding stable. Each had his or her own bedroom, and they shared a big kitchen, living room, and the two bathrooms.

I was going to love life in Kentucky. The air was fresh, the sun warm, and I slowly felt my body starting to relax again. I knew it wasn't a permanent situation, but for now I was putting all the problems on hold. I wanted to enjoy this while I could, and collect energy to face the real world.

The days went by, and I got used to the daily routine. Working in the stable was hard and smelly, but I found out that I liked it. I liked the horses too, even if there was no way I was going on top of one of them myself.

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I'm sorry for this chapter, I'm not happy with it at all... I have no idea where to go from here, should I just end it? 


End file.
